The Sufferer and The Witness
by TraptWolf94
Summary: "Because a new beginning can only come from an old beginnings end." Kankuro/oc Sand Siblings. Gaara/matsuri
1. Siren Song Of The Counter Cult

Please read.

First: The name of the story is actually the album name for the band Rise Against. Feel free to check them out, they're awesome. :)

Second: This is a Kankuro/oc. Thank you.

Third: This takes place in Naruto Shippuden, but i made Sasuke come back to the village after about six months. So Naruto is 16. Kankuro is 17. ;)

Third:

******If you haven't read **_**Here Is Heaven**_** then don't read the rest of this, just skip to the start of the chapter.**

**Ok, hi. This story pretty much starts the same as my "_Heaven (Kiba/oc)"_ storybut i changed a few things.  
The thing about this story is that it is what would happen if the main character didn't go through the white light when she did.  
You find out more about her then you do the _Naruto_ characters, but it is still based on the same story line.  
If you have ever seen Sliding Doors then that is the movie i am trying to portray.**

* * *

**Chapter One.**

"What...have you done?" I said to my brother, whilst staring at my once clean and orderly room, with wide eyes.

"Umm, Happy Birthday...?" He said with a nervous smile. I smile at him sadistically.

"Any last wishes my **beloved** brother?" That was all he needed.

He bolted out through my doorway, through the hallway and practically jumped down the stairway, landing ungracefully on his ass.

I grinned, and then turned to my bedroom.

My bed with a quilt of a random anime collage was in the form of a mountain-tunnel thing. My drawer of folded clothes in neat piles now had every draw pulled out with the clothes spilling out and inside out. My shelves of books, Naruto and wolf plushies, random clutter and my MacDonald's toys were scattered across the room. My alarm clock was smashed- ...MY WHAT WAS SMASHED?!

'_Oh, wait, that was me this morning.'_ I thought sheepishly.

I sighed and started to clean up.

"Why, Lord, did you put me in the same family as thy devil's son?!" I yelled at the roof.

"Keep it down in there!" my dad yelled in the room next door.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "YEAH, yeah...cranky old bas-"

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" He yelled back.

After I was finished cleaning my room, **finally**, I checked my diary was still safe under my mattress.

"Maybe next time, foolish brother." I muttered in my super cool quote voice off of a character in my favourite anime, Naruto_._

'_Oh that was so awesome. Why is it that it happens when no one is around?' _I thought aimlessly.

"Koda, sweetie! Din dinz is ready!" my wonderful mother yelled from down stairs.

"Coming!" I replied.

I ran 'skilfully' downstairs landing 'purposely' on my butt, then walked painfully to the table and sat down on a chair. I sat opposite my _delightful _brother (Think I just threw up a little there.) and next to my mum while my dad sat next to my hopefully adopted brother.

To avoid the awkward silence, like always, we turned our heads towards our cheap, crappie television. The news was on and currently an old but pretty lady was saying 'good evening' while following up with why it isn't.

"Twelve students have mysteriously disappeared from Jasmikern High School today and teachers say it was a blinding light that's at fault. Police say they have leads but refuse to comment on the matter. The parents of the twelve students have been questioned and so far know no one who would do such a thing. If you have additional information that could further the investigation please contact **Crime Stoppers** on 1800 654 937..." said the reporter but after that none of us were listening but looking at one another.

"Isn't that your school, Dakota?" My dad asked, acting all _sober_.

"Uhh, yea, but I didn't hear anything about it... the teachers must have been asked not to start anything up." I said, confused.

"Do you know any of those lame teens?" my brother asked uninterested.

"I don't think so... although I didn't see Kim, Nikki or Suzy after school today. They were meant to meet me, Josh and Brit at the bus stop. We just thought they hitched a ride with Kim's sister..." I said a little panicky.

"It's okay darling," My mum said to me. "I'll call Nicole's dad and Susanne's Mum. You can try to contact Kimberly's sister, okay?"

"Uh huh." I said with tears in my eyes. I ran to my bedroom and grabbed my phone off of my bed. As I dialled Kimmy's sister I could hear my mum say 7 words that made the lump in my throat all the more worse.

"_I've got a bad feeling about this..."_

* * *

_Disclaimer; I don't own any of the Naruto characters. Even though i wish i did. Dakota and the plot however, belong to me._


	2. In The Wake Of Determination

**Chapter Two.**

I walked slowly to the front of my high school. The tired, sad look in my eyes and on my face told everyone that I had found out my three best friends since kindie had disappeared off the face of the earth.

No leads.

No nothing.

Last night I was informed by Kim's sister, Nicole's dad and Susanne's mum that they disappeared in the girls' bathroom with the 9 other girls that were in there. Apparently a message went over the loudspeaker telling me to go to the front office. To tell me and my other friends what had happened. But that would have been the period I skipped with Josh and Brittany.

I looked up once I reached my locker and saw Josh and Brit with the same expression that I had on.

"Koda...?" I must have let a few tears leak down my check. That was all Brittney needed. She hugged me tightly and we cried together. Josh came over and put a hand on our heads and said with the reassurance that we both needed.

"Don't worry girls, If the police aren't gunna find them then I am! But I'm gunna need some hot babes by my side to help my reputation as an awesome detective. " He said with uber seriousness.

That got me and Brit cracking up. Josh didn't do serious but it was hilarious when he tried.

"Okay babe! But that means we need clues and, unlucky for you, those clues are in the girls toilets." Brit said with a smirk.

The look Josh gave us was a classic, and made us crack up again. Mouth still a gape, face pale; he almost looked like a fish. That thought made me laugh harder.

"Can't... [gulp of air]...breathe..." I said breathless, holding my stomach.

"Me... [gulp of air]...Neither..." Brit said in the same position.

Josh retained his composure and walked away. We stared confused.

"Josh! We were just playing!" Brit and I yelled, running after him. We caught up to him and noticed he-**we** had stopped in front of the girl's toilet. We all walked in there together and looked around.

"Wow," Josh said. "I was expecting it to be more..."

"Pink?" I said questionably.

"Uhh, yes actually." He said while looking at the black and red walls.

Both me and Brit rolled our eyes. "Boys." We said in sync.

"This is where they disappeared. Maybe we should... you know." Josh said.

I raised my eyebrow, "look around?" I said with amusement. "Do the hairspray fumes make you ditsy?" Brit smirked at that one.

"Shut up. I forget what I was gunna say, okay?!" He said, without dignity.

"Tame your man Brit. He's lost his leash again. " I said with a cruel smirk.

Brit rolled her eyes and walked over to Josh, grabbed his hand and walked around the small bathroom. I smiled and walked behind them, looking for clues. Then as we got to the middle of the bathroom a blinding light shot up from the floor, along with a loud ringing.

"WHAT THE SPAGETTI!" Brittney yelled.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" I yelled along with her.

"JOSH!" Brit yelled scared, hugging him for dear life.

"DON'T LET GO!" He yelled back, trying to grab my hand.

Suddenly a gush of wind knocked me off my feet and I landed with a thump. I looked up from my spot on the floor and saw the wind pulling Josh and Brit toward the light.

Then they fell into it.

Just like that.

They were gone.

But the light wasn't.

I contemplated whether or not I should dive in after them. The clock was ticking and time was running out. The blinding light was dimming and the wind grew weaker_. 'What do I do?'_ I thought, while jumping from one foot to the other. _'Should I run for it? No, I can't! They are my friends!'_

I turned my head, tears falling gracefully down my face, and ran. Like the coward I am. I didn't even take a second glance.

Just a beeline to the principal's office.

Might I add that it was a track record and only took about 13 seconds?

Anyway, I told the principal and the police and the reporters and anyone else who asked. Only I left out the part about me leaving my friends in a time of need and that the blinding light and loud ringing completely stopped, the moment it consumed both Brittney and Joshua. Instead I told them that Brittney and Joshua left me in the stalls of the bathroom and fled to Canada, to live together with the unborn baby in Brits stomach. I did good. I could have fool God himself.

The lie was killing me though.

The day after the missing persons file was reported I felt the weight of what I had done tenfold. I was a zombie to everyone else. I was guilty in remorse and grief. My mum knew something was up. She'd seen me like this before.

I was in my bedroom listening to _gloomy music_ as my dad would call it, (It's not even that bad!) when my mother came in quietly. She sat down upon the side of my bed. I felt the mattress cave inward a little but I couldn't see her face from the position I was in. I was lying with my back facing the roof and my pillow over my head.

"Dakota? Koda, love?" she said gently. "I don't know what they said or how they hurt your feelings but you know I will always love you know matter what. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know that mummy." I said with a small voice.

Now she definitely knew something was up. I **never** said mummy.

"Baby, me and your father don't like to see you like this." She said sadly. "Please?"

"I could have saved them!" I sobbed, "The light was still there and all I did was run and I didn't even stop and I hate myself for it!"

"Sweetie, she isn't your friend if she'd do this to you-I know this song!" She said, changing the subject. She obviously had no idea what was going through my head and how a bright light had anything to do with a baby in my best friend. Knowing her, she probably thought I was in love with Josh and that it devastated me to find out my BFFL had a baby with him.

"If we cut out the bad well then we'd have nothing left." She began singing. This was 'Cut Up Angels' by 'The Used' I showed her the song a week ago and now she knows every word. "Like I cut up your mouth the night I stopped It all men." She was trying to cheer me up by singing it wrong. So I sung the next line to show I appreciated it.

"And you lied to the angels that I stabbed you to death." She sung out of tune.

"If we go out the same time, now clean up the mess." I sung with a smile. My singing was muffled due to the fact I was singing into my bed with a pillow on the back of my head.

"I lost my head." I sung again while doing the 'crazy in the head' sign with my finger.

"You couldn't come." She sung with a wink.

"This lust to my brain almost feels like a gun." We sang the last line in sync. I lifted my head up and threw the pillow to the side then turned off my music and grinned.

"Thanks mum. I think I'll go to school today." I said sniffing. "Hugs?" I said with a microscopic smile.

She saw it clearly. "Hugs!" she said grinning.

We hugged and she left to make breakfast. I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. After my shower I got ready for school.

Walking to school was easier than I thought it would be. It was when I reached the girls' toilet the guilt had come back.

I opened the door and walked in **painfully** slow.

By the 3rd step I only assumed what would happen and I was correct. I broke down crying. I fell to my knees apologizing over and over again to the friends I abandoned. Then as I got back up onto my feet, I heard something. A loud ringing. I saw a familiar blinding light and gust of abnormally strong wind. I smiled.

"This is my chance!" I said happily. 'I do not cower from this newfound fear, I welcome it.' I thought emotionless. Just like that I was sucked through the light and blacked out.

I opened my eyes as soon as I realized I could feel my fingers.

'White' I thought as I looked around. 'Am I in heaven?' I shook my head at that thought immediately.

'Not after what I have done." I said quietly.

"And what would that be?" a deep male voice said.

I sat up quickly, which was a bad decision on my part. Suddenly the room began spinning but came to a halt at a figure.

"Huh?" i said confused.

I looked at the man in front of me.

Silver hair, mask covering half his face, orange book and a lazy look in his left eye, as the other one was covered but a bandana-thing.

'Wait a minute... THAT'S KAKASHI!' I thought. 'Oh...my...gosh. I'm insane!'

And at that I fainted. Blackness engulfed me once more.

**Blackness.**


	3. Define The Great Line

**Chapter Three.**

I awoke to see the same bright white.

Only this time I rose slowly and looked around cautiously. In front of me was a very big-boobed woman with blonde hair and a purple diamond in the centre of her forehead.

'Lady Tsunade' I though in recognition.

She stared at me long and hard. Eyeing me down as I fidgeted under her gaze.

"My name is Lady Tsunade and I'm Hokage of the Village hidden in the leaves. What are you doing here?" She asked me in a stern tone.

I looked at my hands and mermed a quick, "I-eh-um..." Looking back up at her, I saw her face harden.

"What jutsu did you use and why did you use it? Hmm? "

"I-I didn't use a jutsu! I saw a bright light and now I'm in a cartoon series! What the hell is happening to me!?" I screamed at her with tears in my eyes. The weight of this weirdness was heavy on my shoulders, plus the constant stare of a scary woman.

"You look scared for real." She said with a soft look in her eyes. A few more tears leaked out before I wiped my arm across my face. "Look, can you just explain what happened?"

"Well, me and my two friends, Josh and Brit were walking to the girls bathroom because that was were all our other friends were last seen and then they both went in a bright white light that had loud ringing and then I ran away!"

I knew I wasn't making much sense but I was emotional confused so I continued to explain and cry into my open palms.

"When I told people what happened. I said they ran and had a baby together then I went home and mum made me happy so the next day I went back to school and started crying in the toilet again! Then the light came back and now I'm in a TV series talking to a fictional character!" My shoulders shook hard and I was starting to have trouble breathing.

"Shh, it's ok. Look I know this may be hard but I need you to tell me what happen. But so I can understand. You're making no sense." She cooed to me while rubbing small circles on my back.

I felt a coolness overtake me, starting from her hands and spreading out. I took a deep breath and told her everything that happened from the time I heard of the disappearances of my three friends, Suzy, Kim and Nic, up until now.

After I was done with my sob story, Tsunade looked at my with a thoughtful, yet confused face.

"This could be the work of one hell of a shinobi. And if you say that 15 people have disappeared from your world, including you, then that means we have a lot of confused villages." She sighed and stood from her spot next to me.

"What is your name and how old are you?" She said with tired eyes.

"Dakota West, 15. But call me Koda." She turned to leave but stopped when she reached the door.

"I'll be back. Don't leave this room." And with that she was gone. Leaving me with my thoughts.

Bad idea.

I thought back on where my life was before I 'went insane' or whatever you would call this.  
My life was _far_ from perfect. Father an alcoholic, abusive layer and mother a saint. My dad would usually sit at the T.V with a bottle of jack watching reruns, then eat at the table and pretend to be a loving father, and go straight back to the T.V when he was full.

I never waste my thoughts on that man. I just ignore him. Unless, he makes that hard, like when he has a little too much Jack. Then he turns aggressive and beats the closest human. I try to avoid that but my mum is nearly always unlucky.

My mum is my saint. The kindest and most gorgeous women on earth. She gets me and my brother through it, so we in turn try hard to act like a family around the house so it looks like it doesn't affect us.

But it does.

And always will.

My brother is only 12 or something but our lifestyle of Dad being 'dad' has made him depressed like me, only he deals it a different way. He shoplifts, gets in with bad crowds and smokes, but mum won't ever find out about that. The way I deal with it? I put a razor to my wrist. Not healthy, I know, but I need to vent somehow. My friends don't agree.

In fact they threatened to tell my mum, until I stopped them when I said what it would do to her.

ow she would never forgive herself for allowing me to cause self harm.

My brother knows too, so we made a secret deal to never discuses our methods of 'coping'. It's actually the only thing we have ever agreed on.

I lend back and had flashbacks of the little moments of my life I enjoyed. Then I started thinking of the possibility that I may never see my brother and mum ever again. They'd be stuck with that evil man.

It made me stick at myself that only minutes ago they hadn't even crossed my mind.

Moving on. I have been in this room for 6 hours, 27 minutes and 32 seconds. But who's counting? Tsunade obviously isn't.

"You can leave now. But stay out of trouble. Sakura will be your 'guide'." Came the voice of Tsunade.

She had just finished telling me that she contacted every village she had an alliance with to inform them of the current problem, which was me and my friends, and saying that all but one of the villages she contacted said they two had people like me, who came from 'a different world'.

Suna, the Sand Village, was the exception.

So after Tsunade had finished communicating with the other Villages, she asked whether or not I would like to stay in the leaf village or move to Suna. I still haven't given her an answer but she said I could think about it.

And now she has introduced me to Sakura, whom I knew from the awesome anime, _Naruto, _which I explained to Tsunade after a look of confusion from them both when I said I knew who she was and everything about her and her friends.

Anyway, as I stood and began to walk out of the room with Sakura, she stopped mid-step and turned to face me and Tsunade.

"Wait," She exclaimed politely, "I don't know your name." Then she smiled and I returned it.

"Oh, it's Dakota West. But call me Koda. It sounds cooler." And I grinned.

We made our way out of the hospital and headed for the ramen stand were Sakura told me that all her friends hang out at and along the way pointed out facts and stuff about the village.

I had to keep telling her that I watch the show _Naruto_ and _Naruto Shippuden_ all the time back at home, and that I already knew half the stuff she was telling me. It was funny watching her get flustered over it though.

After I met all her friends and Kiba-I blushed badly when he said hi- she brought me to her apartment where I was to stay until I found a permanent living space. Her apartment was small but spacious.

"Thank you for letting me stay here. Hope I'm not too annoying." I said in a quiet voice but smiling.

I was sitting on the couch, we're I was to sleep, by my orders. I wasn't going to kick someone out of their bed.

"No, your fine. But remember, you have to think about where you would like to live. We can go tomorrow to Hokage if you've decide." She said with a tired smile.

She was sitting on the small loveseat that was opposite the couch.

"Okie." I replied, also tired, and yawned. "Night."

"Night." She said smiling and walked to her bedroom and turned the lights off.

I stretched out and rested my head on the pillow, but before slowly drifting to sleep, I weighed my options down in my head. 'I really like the sun. But I feel safe here, I especially like the fact Team 7 is protecting it. And I can wear long sleeved shirts to hide my scars without getting questioned. Whereas in Suna, they would think me weird if I wore something like that, unless they d wear hot clothing. Damn, wish _Naruto_ showed more of Suna. But I really want to meet Gaara! Damn, this is hard. Guess I'll have to wing it.'

I sighed long and hard then slipped into darkness.


	4. The Irony Of Your Perfection

**Chapter Four.**

"I love your village, but I would like to live in Suna please. Nothing against your Village though! It's just with watching _Naruto _I only know of the Leaf Village and I guess I'd like to experience a different culture. And I –eh-um, sorry, what were we talking about?" I replied with a beat red face. Incase you didn't notice, I ramble on when I'm nervous.

Yeah, I'm weird.

"We don't mind at all. Suna is a lovely village. I'm sure you will love it." Tsunade told me with a reassuring smile. I gave one back and thanked both Tsunade and Sakura for their hospitality and bid the Hokage farewell until we meet again.

I was to have three escorts to Suna and we would leave at midday. It would take three days to get there and the temperature would be scorching hot in the day and freezing cold at night on the last day, so Sakura helped me shop for appropriate clothing to wear, as I still wore my skanky school uniform from the day I arrived.

I bought and changed into big trousers that were black and went to my ankles, a black tank top that stopped a bit under my breasts, and black sandals. I had also pulled my light blonde hair in a loose bun at the nap of the back of my neck. For when it got cooler on the third day to Suna I had a big black hoodie but for now I just had black fingerless gloves that went up to my elbow - to hide the scars.

My three escorts were Sakura (who I already assumed would be one), Naruto and Sasuke. The trip went smoothly and we had lots of fun talking. Naruto and Sakura would tell me of some of the funny stuff that happened to them and Sasuke would sort of just give a smirk to show he remembered.

Even if they forgot I watched them in a cartoon back at home, it was still funny to hear it from them.

By the time we reached Suna-which by the way, was more harder then they made it look in the show-it was about 4 o'clock. I had overslept and refused to open my eyes which lost us some daylight and somehow we ended up taking an hour longer then it was supposed to be. We reached the Kazekage tower and I was introduced to Gaara (I had to restrain myself from hugging the life out of him).

"Welcome to Suna." Came the quite voice of Gaara from behind his desk. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke only said hi to Gaara and goodbye to me, then left, so it was just me and the red headed, green-eyed boy.

"Thank you, Kazekage." I said with a bow and a blush. I may not be from this world but I knew common courtesy and who to apply it to.

"You're ok with living at my house until we can find you a place to live, yes?" He said to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh huh." I nodded with a smile.

"Ok, well I'm going to stay here; I'll get my brother to take you there." Gaara said.

A boy entered the room after those words. He had a black coat thing on with a hat that made him look as though he had cat ears.

'Kankuro' I thought with a smile.

He also had purple paint or make-up on his face in a weird pattern. He glanced at me then continued walking to Gaara's desk and stood facing me. I blushed and looked down when I saw him studying me.

"This is Kankuro, my brother. He is aware of the situation with who you are, as I am." Gaara said to me. I looked up and nodded my head shyly. "You two can leave now. Feel free to ask Kankuro questions."

I shifted my weight to my right foot and nodded my head again. "Okay, thank you."

"So you're Dakota." Kankuro said after a moment of silence, glancing at me. We were walking side by side in the afternoon sand.

I blushed and started my rambling again. "Y-Yessem, but you can call me Koda. Because I don't like the name Dakota. It sounds old. Even though I'm 15. But yea so, hi." Every word I said I got redder and redder. I knew by the amused smirk he gave me that I had just made an idiot out of myself so I kept my eyes on the ground to avoid his gaze.

He seemed to make the heat from the sun even hotter.

He chuckled and replied, "Hey." I smiled as he continued. "So, you're from a different world."

"Sounds impossible, huh." I said when I heard the suspicious tone in his voice.

"A little, yea."

"You don't have to believe me. I'm still having trouble believing it myself." I added with a sad smile. I could feel his stare on my face as we continued down the road. He led me to a massive mansion. Mouth agape and eyes wide; I was frozen.

"You live here?!" I said in shock.

I turned to see his smirk at my reaction, "What? It's just a house."

"Your _house_ makes my house look like a shoe box." I shot back, still in shock.

He grinned and opened the door standing aside for me to enter first.

"If you think the outside is big, wait until you see your room."

Upon entering, my mouth opened even wider then when I saw the outside of the house. I turned to my left and stared at Kankuro disbelieving, "Th-this is my room?"

"Don't like it?" He said with mock sadness.

I gave him a massive grin and walked to the middle of the room, looking at everything I could with hungry eyes.

"I love it."

From what I could see, it had a king-sized bed with blood red bed sheet covers and 6 pillows also red, a cabinet the size of the bed on the opposite wall, a walk in wardrobe, a window that looked out over most of Suna and a desk in the corner of the room on the side of the window. All the furniture was timber, tarnished a dark brown. The carpet was dark red and the walls were a lighter red then both the bed covers and the carpet. It was all so big. So big you could have a party of at least all of my friends in here and not worry about something getting broken.

"Guess I'll leave you by yourself." Kankuro said when he realized how I had forgotten he was there. I looked at him and smiled.

"You can't leave!" He looked at me weirdly. "If I decide to get a snack, I could get lost. I'd be missing for weeks."

He grinned and sat on my bed, while I sat next to him, turning so I could see his face. We talked for a bit until Kankuro changed the topic to what I know more about then my own friends.

"So, your world. I'm still trying to understand what Gaara had told me. Naruto is the main character?" He asked me politely.

"Yep. He, as well as his team, is the main focus. It is based in the leaf village and you pretty much watch Naruto grow up into what he is today." I told him with a thoughtful look.

"You don't see much of the Suna then? Or the ninja's here?"

"No, not really. But when Gaara fought Naruto, they showed us of his past and we saw a lot of Suna then and again when Akatsuki attacked to get Gaara's demon."

"You don't know a lot of me then, do you?" He asked, almost hopeful.

"Um, well, you seemed like a bully in the Chunin exams." I said to him with a nervous smile.

"A bully?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea, you were gunna hit Wannahuckaloogy-No, that's not right-Kunahackamaru-No, um!-Konohamaru, that's him!"

"Wannahuckaloogy..?" He enquired with amusement.

"I must of been thinking of Nemo. They named the mountain that." I replied with a sweat drop.

"What's Nemo?"

"Oh. A movie. You must be very confused with all this, huh." I said, feeling a little bad that I had forgotten we were from two different worlds.

"I'll get used to it." With a sigh he added, "So everyone in your world see's me as a bully."

"No, not now. See, there are two different parts to _Naruto_.

Part One is where Naruto is 12 and just starting as a Genin. Part Two is where Naruto is 16 and trying to find Sasuke to bring him back to Konaha. In Part One, you seem like a bully, that you were scared of Gaara, and that you only coped with him because your father told you too. In Part Two, it shows that you believe Gaara has changed and you treat him like a brother." Once I looked up I saw Kankuro, glaring at his feet with a look of disgust on his face.

"Everyone who watches that show, they saw how cruel I was. They watched me make my biggest regret in my life." He looked like he was going to throw up with hate.

"But you righted it by not continuing to make it. You proved yourself when you risked your life against Sasori to save your brother's life. You showed how much Gaara means to you and that's what everyone remembers. People in my world don't dwell on the past." I said, the last statement being a lie.

"Yea. But people in your world wouldn't do what I did to their brothers, would they. " He said angrily. He looked scary when he was angry and right now that was pointed at me because I brought it up.

It frightened me, so much that I imaging my father's face over his. Kankuro went to lift his hat-thing that was slipping, which I knew that he was doing, but for some reason I couldn't rid the picture of my father from my mind and flinched - my eyes closed tight- I turning my head and put hands in front of my face. When I didn't feel anything I turned my head slowly back to Kankuro and opened my eyes to see his shocked face.

"You thought I was going to hit you." He said accusingly. My eyes watered up from the shock of my assumption.

"I-um-No! I have to- eh." I said panicky with tears running down my face. I ran for the bathroom and locked the door. I broke down and started to cry harder. Sliding my back down the closed door, I put my knees against my chest and my arms around them. I ducked my head between my legs and continued to cry my heart out. Being a stressful few days and remembering my dad, had given me one of my rare breakdowns. They happened every now and then, but generally when no one was within a 100 meter radius so I was embarrassed that a person I barely knew had seen it.

Once I calmed down I stood up and went to the basin. I washed my face and took a deep breath while I studied my face in the mirror. I glared hard at my blue eyes. 'Grow up.' I thought harshly.

I sighed long and hard then open the door and left the bathroom. I closed the door slowly behind me, never taking my eyes of the floor. When I looked up I saw Kankuro in the same spot he was before, which shocked me.

When he noticed me he stood and walked over to me, talking slow and cautious steps. I took a step back automatically, which left my back against the door of the bathroom. Kankuro saw this and stopped, leaving about half a meter between us. He stood there looking at my face, into my eyes. His stare was so intense I had to look away. I looked down and could feel me face heat up.

"Are you? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Kankuro said after a while, in a feel-bad tone. I lifted my head a bit, just so he could see my mouth, but not my eyes or nose because my fringe covered them.

"It's not your fault. It's me. Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong." I said in a quiet, almost robotic voice, then giving him a small fake smile.

The ones I give everyone.

"If that were true then you wouldn't have been crying and you wouldn't be giving me an excuse you've clearly used more than once." He said in a serious voice.

He walked a little closer to me and reached out his hand slowly and carefully. I couldn't refrain from tensing up but I didn't move or flinch. His hand came to my chin and lifted my head so I was looking at his face. I raised my eyes to look into his.

"I promise I will never hurt you." He said in the most sincere voice he could muster. And I knew he meant it which made my eyes water up again. I walked toward him and hugged him gently.

"Thank you." I said in an almost inaudible whisper but he hugged back a little which told me he heard.

Which told me he cared.


	5. And Their Name Was Treason

**Chapter Five.**

After my and Kankuro's private and slightly embarrassing moment we both went down stairs to find a pretty girl with blonde hair in four buns on her head. When she heard us enter the kitchen where she was seated at the table, she looked up and smiled.

"Hi, you must be Dakota. I'm Tamari." She said standing up and extending her hand for a shake. I smiled back and extended my own arm.

As we shook I replied, "Nice to meet you. Call me Koda if you want."

All three of us sat down at the table and began to talk about each other and the village for the next hour and a half until Kankuro spoke up.

"Did you want me to show you the village before it gets too dark?"

I looked at him, "Ok, if it doesn't bother you."

I could tell my face was pink. I could see Tamari smirking in the corner of my eye so I ducked my head behind my fringe to hide my face.

"I don't mind. Come on."

Kankuro stood and I soon followed after receiving a wink from Tamari.

We walked out of the mansion into the chilly dawn air. Shivering a bit, we walked around the village, me following slightly behind Kankuro. As we walked he pointed out several interesting facts about Suna that I enjoyed hearing from him.

"You know, these buildings are made out of sand."

"Really? That's cool. How come they're still here then? Won't they blow away?" I enquired, looking at the buildings around us as we walked.

He just chuckled and replied, "Strong sand."

"Oh" I said awkwardly with a blush on my face.

Then I remembered the _Three Little Pigs_ story back at home, for some random reason. To keep the atmosphere non-awkward I voiced my thoughts.

"Hay, did you ever hear of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf story?" I asked when we sat down in a fast food booth. We sat opposite each other in a booth that was made out of sand, as expected, and ordered two drinks of a liquid I'd never tasted before.

"I don't think so. What's it about?" He said studying my face.

I blushed and hid my face under my hair as usual and answered his question.

"Well, it's a children's storybook and parents usually read it to their kids before they go to sleep. My mum used to tell it to me every night before I went to bed.  
It's about these three pigs that still live with their mother. She doesn't want them to stay there with her forever so she asks them to move out and build their own homes, and they did, but the three of them built their houses next to each other.  
The first pig built his house out of straw, the second pig built his house out of sticks and the third built his out of brick. They lived in the houses for a while, but then the local badass, a wolf, found out they had moved away from their mum.  
He planned to eat them as soon as the pigs let him in, so he walked to the first pigs house and yelled, 'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.' the pig, not trusting him, replied, 'Not on the hairs of my chinny chin, chin!' The angry wolf yelled at the pig, 'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!'  
The wolf blew down the house of straw, so the first pig ran to his neighbour, whom was the second pig who built the house of sticks. When the wolf reach the second pigs house, he exclaimed, 'Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in.' From which they replied, 'Not on the hairs of our chinny chin, chins!' He got angry again and screamed, 'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!'  
He blew the house down but the two pigs got away. They ran to the third little pigs house that was made out of brick and told the third pig what happened.  
The wolf came soon and repeated the line he already said twice. The pigs replied the same and again, the wolf got mad. 'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow you house DOWN!' So the wolf huff and puffed but he house didn't came down. The wolf had an idea and decided to g4et in though the chimney.  
While he was scaling the roof, the pigs put a big caldron full of water under the chimney and started to boil the water. When the wolf came down the chimney he boiled alive and the pigs ate him." I finished the story with pointed look.

"This story has a moral?" Kankuro said after a while of noticing my look.

"Don't use anything other than brick to build a house."

"Because we will get eaten by wolves?"

"I've never been wrong." Kankuro just shook his head with a small chuckle and stood up from the booth.

It was then that I realized, for ten minutes, I had his undivided attention.


End file.
